Last July a California judge ruled the death penalty unconstitutional in the case of Ernest D Jones. The reasoning behind the judge’s ruling? It’s taking California too long to kill inmates on Death Row. So long that the sentence amounts to cruel and unusual punishment. The last execution in California was carried out nine years ago and there are 746 people on death row. Today, a federal appeals court panel in Pasadena considered the lower court’s decision on Ernest Dwayne Jones. Could we see the end of the death penalty in California?
Is California’s Death Penalty Unconstitutional?
Credits
Guest:
- Ashby Jones - Deputy Chief of the Wall Street Journal’s law bureau.